Lindmania smithiana (Steyermark & Luteyn) L.B.Sm.
Literature references:
Comments:
- Endemic.
The plants were growing in full sunlight along the margin of the Churun river. The general aspect of the locality is one of an open, more or less level landscape with short, herbaceous vegetation, but with groves of shrubby thickets along the stream margins.
Connellia smithiana, dedicated to Dr. Lyman B. Smith, the renowned specialist of the Bromeliaceae, was discovered by the authors on the high summit of the sandstone mountain, Auyan-tepui, of the Venezuelan Guayana during 1984. With its silveryglaucous, membranaceous, entire leaves, prostrate inflorescence and showy, rose-colored flowers, it is a striking new addition to the genus (fig. 3). From C. augustae it differs in the longer pedicels, floral bracts shorter than the pedicels, flowers 15-17 mm long instead of 26 mm, prostrate inflorescence, shorter sepals, and silvery glaucous, membranaceous leaves which have entire margins. In C. augustae the leaf color is noted on specimens providing leaf color as rich green above and below, or olive green above, paler green below, or as rich green above and dull paler green below. Moreover, the leaves of C. smithiana are flexible and membranaceous, rather then coriaceous as in C. augustae. The prostrate inflorescence of C. smithiana is quite in contrast to the erect or ascending one of C. augustae, the latter noted as attaining a height of up to 1-1.5 meters in Venezuela material identified by Dr. Smith. —See Steyermark, Holst et al. 1989
